Open Fire, Two Guitars
Open Fire, Two Guitars | ||||
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Studio album by Johnny Mathis | ||||
Released | January 5, 1959[1] | |||
Recorded | October 2–3, 1958[2] | |||
Studio | CBS 30th Street Studio New York City | |||
Genre | Vocal[3] | |||
Length | 43:05 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Mitch Miller[1][2] | |||
Johnny Mathis chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | link |
Billboard | positive[4] |
Open Fire, Two Guitars is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on January 5, 1959,[1] by Columbia Records on which he opts for guitar and bass accompaniment instead of performing alongside an orchestra. Two new songs ("An Open Fire" and "I'm Just a Boy in Love") are mixed in with covers of popular standards.
The album made its first appearance on Billboard magazine's list of the 25 Best-Selling Pop LPs in the US in the issue dated February 9, 1959, and got as high as number four during its 96 weeks there.[5] It received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000 copies in the US on December 4, 1962.[6]
The album was released for the first time on compact disc on June 28, 1994,[7] as part of the Master Sound series in which Sony Music used the Super Bit Mapping process to remaster certain titles and burn them onto discs with 24-karat gold plating.[8] It was also issued on a standard compact disc on December 23, 1999.[9]
Reception
The album's production values were one thing that especially impressed Greg Adams of Allmusic. "Producer Mitch Miller is often associated with gimmicky or novelty productions, but his work on Open Fire, Two Guitars is perfectly understated, emphasizing the gentle caress of Mathis's voice over the relaxed counterpoint of the two guitars."[3] He added, "The album's effect seems nearly a cappella at times, but 'In the Still of the Night' finds Mathis intoning the lyrics over gently rhythmic guitar figures that educe new harmonic complexities from a well-known song."[3] Writing decades after the album's initial release, Adams noted, "The enduring popularity of Open Fire, Two Guitars is attributable in part to its hypnotic aura of closeness and confidentiality, but also to the simple instrumentation that appeals to many rock-era listeners' preference for guitars over orchestral arrangements."[3]
Upon its debut, Billboard gave it a positive review as well, writing, "It's a fine, warm collection of standards with the artist in best form."[4]
Track listing
Side one
- "An Open Fire" (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) – 3:52
- "Bye Bye Blackbird" (Mort Dixon, Ray Henderson) – 4:07
- "In the Still of the Night" from Rosalie (Cole Porter) – 2:35
- "Embraceable You" from Girl Crazy (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 3:28
- "I'll Be Seeing You" from Right This Way (Irving Kahal, Sammy Fain) – 4:26
- "Tenderly" (Jack Lawrence, Walter Gross) – 2:58
Side two
- "When I Fall in Love" (Edward Heyman, Victor Young) – 4:31
- "I Concentrate on You" from Broadway Melody of 1940 (Cole Porter) – 3:16
- "Please Be Kind" (Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin) – 3:24
- "You'll Never Know" from Hello, Frisco, Hello (Mack Gordon, Harry Warren) – 4:07
- "I'm Just a Boy in Love" (Shirley Cowell) – 2:44
- "My Funny Valentine" from Babes in Arms (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) – 3:37
Recording dates
From the liner notes for The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection:[2]
- October 2, 1958 — "I'm Just a Boy in Love", "In the Still of the Night", "My Funny Valentine"
- October 3, 1958 — "Bye Bye Blackbird", "Embraceable You", "I Concentrate on You", "I'll Be Seeing You", "An Open Fire", "Please Be Kind", "Tenderly", "When I Fall in Love", "You'll Never Know"
Personnel
Original album
- Johnny Mathis – vocals
- Mitch Miller – producer[1][2]
- Al Caiola – guitar[10]
- Frank Carroll – bass[10]
- Milt Hinton – bass[10]
- Tony Mottola – guitar[10]
- Dirone – photography[10]
1999 CD reissue
From the liner notes for the CD:[1]
- Didier C. Deutsch – producer
- Kevin Boutote – mixing and digital mastering
- Joy Gilbert – project director
- Darren Salmieri – A&R coordinator
- Steve Berkowitz – A&R
- Howard Fritzson – art direction
- Randall Martin – design
- Don Huntstein – photography
- Bob Cato – photography
- Hank Parker – photography
- Michael Cimicata – packaging manager
References
- ^ a b c d e (1999) Open Fire, Two Guitars by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. New York: Columbia Records CK 65862.
- ^ a b c d (2017) The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. New York: Sony Music Entertainment 88985 36892 2.
- ^ a b c d "Open Fire, Two Guitars - Johnny Mathis". allmusic.com. All Media Network, LLC. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
- ^ a b "The Billboard Spotlight Winners of the Week". Billboard. 1959-02-09. p. 28.
- ^ Whitburn 2010, p. 503.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum". riaa.com. Retrieved 18 October 2016. Type Johnny Mathis in the Search box and press Enter.
- ^ "Open Fire, Two Guitars - Johnny Mathis – Release Info [1994 edition]". allmusic.com. All Media Network, LLC. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "Davis, Brubeck, Dylan Among Acts Set For Special Legacy CDs". Billboard. 1992-06-13. p. 73.
- ^ "Open Fire, Two Guitars - Johnny Mathis – Release Info [1999 edition]". allmusic.com. All Media Network, LLC. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d e (1959) Open Fire, Two Guitars by Johnny Mathis [album jacket]. New York: Columbia Records CL 1270.
Bibliography
- Whitburn, Joel (2010), Joel Whitburn Presents Top Pop Albums, Seventh Edition, Record Research Inc., ISBN 0-89820-183-7
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- Wonderful, Wonderful
- Warm
- Good Night, Dear Lord
- Swing Softly
- Merry Christmas
- Open Fire, Two Guitars
- Heavenly
- Faithfully
- Johnny's Mood
- The Rhythms and Ballads of Broadway
- I'll Buy You a Star
- Live It Up!
- Rapture
- Johnny
- Sounds of Christmas
- Romantically
- Tender Is the Night
- The Wonderful World of Make Believe
- This Is Love
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- Broadway
- Love Is Everything
- The Sweetheart Tree
- The Shadow of Your Smile
- So Nice
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- Love Is Blue
- Those Were the Days
- Love Theme from "Romeo And Juliet" (A Time for Us)
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- Sings the Music of Bacharach & Kaempfert
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- You've Got a Friend
- The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)
- Song Sung Blue
- Me and Mrs. Jones
- Killing Me Softly with Her Song
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- The Heart of a Woman
- When Will I See You Again
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- I Only Have Eyes for You
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- That's What Friends Are For
- The Best Days of My Life
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- Friends in Love
- A Special Part of Me
- Right from the Heart
- Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis
- The Hollywood Musicals
- Once in a While
- In the Still of the Night
- In a Sentimental Mood: Mathis Sings Ellington
- How Do You Keep the Music Playing?
- All About Love
- Because You Loved Me: The Songs of Diane Warren
- Mathis on Broadway
- The Christmas Album
- Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album
- A Night to Remember
- Let It Be Me: Mathis in Nashville
- Sending You a Little Christmas
- Johnny Mathis Sings the Great New American Songbook
- Johnny's Greatest Hits
- More Johnny's Greatest Hits
- Portrait of Johnny
- Johnny's Newest Hits
- I'll Search My Heart and Other Great Hits
- The Great Years
- People
- The Impossible Dream
- Johnny Mathis' All-Time Greatest Hits
- Johnny Mathis Sings the Great Songs
- The Johnny Mathis Collection
- The Mathis Collection
- Tears and Laughter
- The Best of Johnny Mathis 1975–1980
- The First 25 Years – The Silver Anniversary Album
- Celebration – The Anniversary Album
- 16 Most Requested Songs
- Better Together: The Duet Album
- The Christmas Music of Johnny Mathis: A Personal Collection
- The Hits of Johnny Mathis
- The Ultimate Hits Collection
- The Essential Johnny Mathis
- The Very Best of Johnny Mathis
- Gold: A 50th Anniversary Christmas Celebration
- Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration
- The Ultimate Collection
- The Classic Christmas Album
- Johnny Mathis in Person: Recorded Live at Las Vegas
- Unforgettable – A Musical Tribute to Nat King Cole
- Live
- The Music of Johnny Mathis: A Personal Collection
- The Complete Global Albums Collection
- The Singles
- The Complete Christmas Collection 1958–2010
- The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection
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- "It's Not for Me to Say"
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- "Gina
- "What Will Mary Say"
- "Beyond the Blue Horizon"
- "Remember When (We Made These Memories)"
- "Love Me Tonight"
- "Odds and Ends"
- "I'm Coming Home"
- "Life Is a Song Worth Singing"
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- "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late"
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- Johnny Mathis: Wonderful, Wonderful!